Following similar debacles at Arizona State and Cal, respectively, Washington (6-1, 3-1) and Washington Sate (6-1, 3-1) fell out of the Associated Press Top 10 Sunday. The Huskies, a 13-7 loser Saturday to the Sun Devils, dropped from No. 5 to No. 12 while the Cougars, hammered Friday by the Bears 37-3, plunged from No. 8 to No. 15.
The Huskies and Cougars last week were part of the AP’s top 10 for only the third time in history. Offensive meltdowns — averaging 43 points per game, UW tallied only seven points against the nation’s 120th-ranked defense, and WSU failed to score a TD for the first time since 2012 — erased for both any chance of a national playoff appearance.
Washington received 811 points in AP voting, down from 1,284. The Cougars, looking for their first 7-0 start since 2001, collected 578. The Huskies also fell to 12th in the coaches poll. WSU dropped to 18th.
No. 11 USC (6-1, 4-1) and No. 22 Stanford (5-2, 4-1) are the only other Pac-12 teams in the AP poll. The Trojans moved up two notches after beating Utah 28-27, and Stanford moved up one spot after blasting Oregon 49-7.
Alabama (7-0) remained No 1 in the AP poll with 61 first-place votes and 1,525 points. The Crimson Tide were followed by No. 2 Penn State (6-0), No. 3 Georgia (7-0), No. 4 TCU (6-0) and No. 5 Wisconsin (6-0).
Washington will have little opportunity to get back into the playoff picture since the Huskies face only two ranked teams the rest of the way, the Cougars and Stanford. The Huskies could face No. 11 USC if both reach the Pac-12 title game. By losing, Washington and Washington State fell out of a tie for first in the Pac-12 North and into a tie for second behind Stanford.
The Huskies have a bye week and will return to action Saturday, Oct. 28 against UCLA at Husky Stadium. Kickoff time has not been announced. The Cougars host Colorado Saturday (7:45 p.m., ESPN) at Martin Stadium.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="2235950 https://sportspressnw.wpengine.com/?p=2235950">1 Comment
Husky fans are acting as if the loss in Tempe (again) is the sign of the apocalypse. Really, did you think Washington was going 14-0? Folks have very short memories. After Neuheisel-Gilbertson-Willingham-Sarkesian, I will take 6-1 and Coach Petersen every year. We are living the latest golden age of Husky football with a winning and exciting team every year. We have a high ethics and high energy coach and a beautifully refurbished stadium. At the moment, we have what will turn out to be the greatest quarterback every to play for Washington, and maybe the greatest running back and one of the best defenses as well. The Apple Cup will be epic and an excellent bowl game is on the horizon. PERSPECTIVE is a good thing. Finally, am I the only one who could not care less about the college football final four and playoffs? I would much rather finish the year with a win in a good bowl game than a loss to the SEC.